Neighbors Wendy Martinez and Kimberly Milligan stand next to the Turpin home one month after the 17-year-old teen escaped and called authorities on her parents for allegedly abusing her siblings in Perris. Photo by Frank Bellino, contributing photographer

A van and two cars parked in the driveway haven’t been driven in weeks. The gate leading to the backyard blows open in the wind. A dark curtain in the front window hides what’s left inside.

One month has passed since a 17-year-old girl escaped through a window on a Sunday — Jan. 14 — and told authorities about the abuse she said she and her 12 siblings, aged 2 to 29, suffered inside the family home in Perris. For neighbors, life is returning to normal since the sea of journalists has disappeared, but they remain jarred and disturbed by what prosecutors say took place so close to their homes.

Stuffed animals sit next to the front door of the Turpin house in Perris, about one month after a 17-year-old teen escaped and told authorities her parents abused her and her 12 siblings. Photo by Frank Bellino, contributing photographer

The Turpin home is seen about one month after a 17-year-old teen escaped and told authorities her parents abused her and her 12 siblings at the Perris home. Photo by Frank Bellino, contributing photographer

For almost a week, neighbors lived beneath the local, national and international media spotlight.

Television trucks took up nearly every inch of available curb space. A helicopter and drone circled over the house. Drivers visiting the neighborhood pulled out cellphones and snapped photos of the scene.

Kimberly Milligan, who lives across the street from the Turpins, said Monday, Feb. 12, that it has been difficult over the past month to process what happened.

“You just knew something was off, but not off enough where you would call,” Milligan said.

“I beat myself over the head,” she added. “It took a long time to be able to go to sleep.”

Milligan wasn’t too bothered by the dozen or so news trucks. She said it felt good knowing someone was there because that meant someone was watching over the house.

Wendy Martinez lives around the corner from the Turpin home. As she stood next to Milligan, Martinez said the Turpin case “will be a scar for our neighborhood forever.”

Both neighbors say they have since become more observant.

Milligan often looks at the house and notices when something is off, such as the back gate being open. Martinez said she makes sure the windows haven’t been broken.

“We’ve become closer,” Milligan said. “It’s a little more of watching out for one another.”

Two doors down, Andria Valdez reflected on what happened so close to her home.

Like Milligan, Valdez said she didn’t sleep much the first few days.

Valdez said she thought the news media portrayed neighbors in an unflattering light by asking how they didn’t know about the alleged abuse inside the Turpin house.

“How could you blame the community?” she asked.

Even motorists who stopped in front of her home asked that question, she said.

“When we were outside,” she said, “cars would stop and say, ‘You didn’t know anything?’ ”

Sometimes, outsiders have parked their cars and just stared at the house, Valdez added.

Still, a month later, she said the neighborhood feels the same in some ways as it did before.

“Everybody minds their own business,” she said.

Around the corner, Rex Wolins stood on his porch clutching his dog. He moved in four years ago and had never seen the Turpins.

“It’s like driving by a graveyard,” he said of the Turpin house. “You are helpless to do anything about what took place there.”

Wolins said the case is a reminder for everyone to be more aware of their surroundings.

“If you see something, don’t just be quiet about it,” he said.

Though no one’s living inside the home, there are signs of life on the front porch.

Dozens have flocked there, leaving behind balloons and candles.

A row of stuffed teddy bears and Hello Kitty dolls sits on the porch, next to a few flower bouquets. A white poster with hand-written messages hangs on the front door.

The more than 20 notes — mostly directed at the Turpin siblings — include these three:

“You kids are so loved by so many people!!! All 13 will go on to do wonderful and great things!”

“I pray for nothing but joy for all of you. You’re in our thoughts.”

“We are thinking of you! Stay strong, you’re not alone. “

One of the longer messages was written by someone who says they can identify with the plight of the 13 siblings:

“Sweet children, I came from an abusive childhood as well. I learned to trust God and truly rise above it. This is now your story to help other kids recover from something similar, too. The road is long and painful, but you will rise and be strong from it. Trust the Lord and keep your faith in him.”

Shane Newell joined the Orange County Register as a community reporter covering Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel. He now covers Temecula and Murrieta for The Press-Enterprise. He graduated from Stanford University in 2016 with a M.A. in communication. He earned his bachelor's in journalism from Long Beach State in 2015. Among his favorite stories was his 2016 feature on Monday Morning Quarterback's Peter King and his life as one of the nation's most prolific NFL reporters.

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